IAADPInternational Association ofAssistance Dog Partners

IAADP MEMBERSHIP - Information, Benefits, Application

Who is eligible for Membership in IAADP?

IAADP primarily represents and advocates for people with disabilities working with guide, hearing and service dogs. In addition, anyone with a personal or professional interest in the assistance dog community is welcome to join as a Friend or Provider Member and contribute to IAADP's global information sharing and advocacy network.

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES .......Which one are you eligible for?

Partner Membership: - open to disabled persons working with an adult guide, hearing or service dog obtained from a Provider or one trained by the owner for a minimum of Six Months. Prior to enrollment, training must be completed in accordance with the Minimum Training Standards for obedience, manners and disability related tasks.

Friend Membership: - open to disabled individuals with a puppy or dog "in training" for a career as an assistance dog who has not yet completed the required amount of schooling to become eligible for a Partner Membership. Health care professionals, puppy raisers and others interested in the assistance dog movement are also encouraged to become an IAADP Friend.

Provider Membership: - open to training programs and professional dog trainers who provide task trained assistance dogs to disabled persons. Also open to programs or trainers assisting disabled individuals to train their own dogs to meet or exceed our Minimum Training Standards

Why Are Trained Tasks So Important?

Trained tasks that mitigate or lessen the effects of a disabling condition are the legal basis for granting access rights to disabled handlers under the Americans With Disabilities Act. Examples include but are not limited to, guiding the blind, alerting the deaf to specific sounds, wheelchair pulling, balance support, retrieving dropped objects or providing different kinds of trained assistance in a medical crisis. An assistance dog with this special training is viewed as assistive technology / medical equipment, not as a pet. Thus the team will be exempt under ADA from whatever restrictions apply to pets in places of public accommodation such as a business, restaurant or hotel and on public transportation.

For more information on the wide variety of trained tasks performed by guide dogs, hearing and service dogs, choose one of the following:

Task examples: Traditional Tasks performed by Guide, Hearing and Service Dogs. Click Here.

Task examples: Tasks for Service Dogs for Persons with a Psychiatric Disability. Click Here.

ATTENTION: Dogs utilized for Emotional Support, Companionship or Therapy may provide a feeling of comfort, safety or additional exercise or other therapeutic health and psychological benefits, but these functions in and of themselves DO NOT meet the Americans With Disabilities Act Training Requirements for a Service Animal whose disabled handler will legally have public access rights. Therefore, their owners are NOT eligible for Partner Membership in IAADP.

ADDITIONAL POLICIES:

For those working with more than one assistance dog, IAADP's agreement with corporate sponsors makes Partner members eligible for benefits for only one dog annually. That dog must be listed on this form. For members whose assistance dog retires or dies, and who obtain an adult, task trained successor dog in the same year, the new dog will become eligible for benefits as soon as IAADP is officially notified of the Name Change.

Submit application with a check or money order made payable to IAADP. Applicants outside the U.S.A. must send U.S. currency or an international check / money order. Applications may also be submitted online and alternative methods of payment are available on the IAADP website using PayPal.

Please Note: From the time of receipt of payment, a period of 45 to 60 days will be needed to process the application. Membership begins immediately upon the receipt of your Membership Card and Packet. Please be patient as we rely on volunteers to carry out most of the work done by IAADP for its members.